MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY
Nursing Student Toolset for Understanding Medical Terms
Abbreviations save time and simplify the speaking, reading, and writing of medical terms. They are used extensively in health care
because there are so many terms that are lengthy and difficult to pronounce.
A suffix is a word part that comes at the end of the medical term. If the suffix -meter (instrument used to measure) is added to the
combining form therm/o, the result is the creation of the word therm/o/meter, an instrument used to measure heat.
hematology (study of the blood)
↓ ↓
blood + study of
intravenous (pertaining to within a vein)
↓ ↓ ↓
within + vein + pertaining to
A prefix is a word part that comes at the beginning of the medical term. For example, again consider the word root therm. If it is joined
with the prefix hypo- (beneath or below) and the suffix -ia (condition), then a new word is created: hypo/therm/ia, a condition of low heat.
As you may already know, this term is used in reference to a condition of low body temperature.
Nursing Student Toolset for Understanding Medical Terms
Abbreviations save time and simplify the speaking, reading, and writing of medical terms. They are used extensively in health care
because there are so many terms that are lengthy and difficult to pronounce.
A suffix is a word part that comes at the end of the medical term. If the suffix -meter (instrument used to measure) is added to the
combining form therm/o, the result is the creation of the word therm/o/meter, an instrument used to measure heat.
hematology (study of the blood)
↓ ↓
blood + study of
intravenous (pertaining to within a vein)
↓ ↓ ↓
within + vein + pertaining to
A prefix is a word part that comes at the beginning of the medical term. For example, again consider the word root therm. If it is joined
with the prefix hypo- (beneath or below) and the suffix -ia (condition), then a new word is created: hypo/therm/ia, a condition of low heat.
As you may already know, this term is used in reference to a condition of low body temperature.
